Beautiful Light
by PixieMaura
Summary: When Bella breaks up with Edward to be with Jacob, Edward is left numb. He realizes that what he and Bella had was, indeed, not love. And in comes the girl that might just be able to show him what it really is to find true love.
1. Beautiful Acquaintance

_9 Months prior_

I smell the leech on her. I have, everyday, since she started seeing him. The first few days I came to her room and smelt him on her, I'd said nothing, and she'd lied about where she had gone. Her breath smelt of him, her clothes, her skin. It was disgusting, a smell too musty and warm to bear. I'd flinched away every night, and she hadn't minded. I knew she had somebody else's touch to make her happy. She is going to tell me today, she's biting her lip out of nervousness and embarrassment. We're in my car, and I'm gripping the steering wheel as hard as I possibly can without breaking it. Her lips move, and my ears make out the words I've been expecting.

"Edward, I think we should break up." She blurts out.

"I know." She looks at me, shyly, biting the lip I've kissed so little times.

"It's just, um, I've kind of been, well…"

"With that dog." I say curtly.

"Jacob. Yes. I'm sorry." Her head turns down and I rub my hands over my jeans, knowing otherwise I would crush my precious car.

"I've known for a while," I tell her, she gasps, "I can smell him on you."

"I'm sorry."

"You're not. You're happy with him. I see your face fall every time I walk to you. And you're always so… giddy when you're going to see him."

"I love him." She says, and I close my eyes. The blow is hard, but I need it. We've been growing apart, and I needed, _we_ needed a clean break. My chest tightens as I look at the girl I thought I would love forever. This wasn't meant to be.

"We thought we had it, Edward. The real thing. It isn't, it's so much greater, I promise you." She didn't have to promise me anything.

"You have to get out now. I need a moment." Maybe one that lasts forever.

_Now_

Senior year, another year of endless boredom and dull torture. Bella and I keep our distance, but it is awkward. In Biology, we didn't know what to say, and I preferred not to talk. The break up effect wasn't as bad as I'd expected. It wasn't love, we know that now, but the thought of having lost the only thing closest to it made me realize what I've wanted the entire time. Maybe I was just with Bella because she was intriguing, since I couldn't read her mind. She had been new, fresh, and her blood had appealed to me. She must've been distracted by her teenage hormones, telling her I was a good man to start off with. I look at Alice, my dearest sister who is looking at me with a worried face.

'_Are you going to be okay?'_ She was inquiring about the fact that Bella and I would be having English together next class. I nodded slightly. The school was buzzing, Bella was at ease today. From today on she wouldn't be the latest new kid to our school. An exchange student – the first in the history of Forks – had arrived, late I may say. Mike Newton's head was already full with images of her. She sat in front of him in Math, and she'd explained to him when he'd asked that she was late partially because of jetlag, and partially because she had loads of papers to fill in. He'd wondered whether her first language was a sexy one, since the accent had already piqued his interest, and he hoped to get her to say something to him in it. I heard heads moving when the cafeteria door opened, and several conversations ended abruptly.

'_What on earth is she wearing?'_

'_Cute. God, she's tiny.'_

'_She found it, I'd better lead her to where we sit.' _The kind mind of Angela ringed out of the annoying buzz of comments about her appearance. I heard her distinctive footstep walk towards her and heard them speak.

"I'm so sorry, had to finish off some papers. Transferring sucks." A high voice said. Her accent was obvious, European, I decided.

"Don't worry about it. Sure you don't need a jacket or anything?"

"I'm fine, thanks. What's to eat?" Angela told her where to go for her meal and led her to it anyway. I heard her order a spaghetti, no sauce, and a bottle of water.

"Thank you." She said shyly to the lunch lady. I heard the footsteps walk towards their table. Bella's table. I heard her make little noises of panic as she maneuvered through the chairs and many people walking around. The shoving of a chair on the floor nearby indicated that she had sat down.

"Hey." She whispered shyly.

"Hi, Mike, remember? I sat next to you in Math."

"I do, hi. Thank you for letting me sit here, I don't want to interrupt or anything."

"Don't worry about it. We need new company, besides, Bella is eternally grateful that you came here."

I saw her confused face in Mike's mind. Light rosy lips with a slightly bigger lower lip, big brown almond eyes and her hair was something between blonde and brown. She was wearing a black tank top that showed her pale arms, shoulders and face and a pair of shorts with flowers on them.

"I'm not the new kid anymore." Bella explained.

"Was it the same when you came here?"

"Yeah, but I was expected, and came in the middle of the year. You're in the spotlight now."

"Great." She groaned. Angela giggled.

"Weren't you in some kind of performing arts school?"

"Yeah, doesn't mean I enjoyed it." Angela became confused, but decided not to ask. I heard the girl eat her spaghetti.

"This is actually pretty good. The food at my boarding back home sucked."

"You went to a boarding?"

"Yeah, my school was in a big city, and too far away from home. It was nice though, it won a contest for best boarding in Belgium. Doesn't say a lot, but still."

"Which city?"

"Ghent."

"Never heard of it."

"Yeah, I know, most Americans don't even know where Belgium is… They actually think Belgium is the capitol of Brussels." She laughed, and I heard Mike's thoughts, hearing him think that he thought that.

"Must be hard coming to a small town then." Mike suggested.

"It's okay, just a little culture shock, I went to New York on a camp before coming here. Street preachers, no French fries stalls, waiters introducing themselves, even though their names are written on a plaque. And what's the thing about tips? I mean, it's kind of ridiculous." She rambled on. I understood her frustration, we had lived in England for a short period of time and the difference in mentality was great.

"Are you going to need any catching up on classes? I could help." Angela offered. She thought that she might not have had the same classes where she lived.

"Well, I might have to, soon enough. I'll be able to use Google Translate most of the time but the thing you guys just saw in Biology, I don't understand any of it!"

"Well, Bella and I live near you, so if you ever need help, don't be afraid to call."

"Thank you. So, I heard there was some beach nearby, any chance the weather is better there?"

"Only slightly. We were actually planning to go this weekend, the weather won't be great, but there's whale watching. Want to come with?"

"I'd love to! I've never seen a real whale." Her voice got even higher in her excitement.

"Great, I'll tell Tyler to stop by your house then."

At that moment, the bell rang, and I heard the girl rustling her bag.

"Damned schedule," she muttered, "English Lit. Great."

Alice and I arose from our seats and silently went to class. I'd get a better look of her in class.

I sat down near the front of English class. Since the new teacher only asked people in the front to answer questions, the whole class had taken seat as far away as possible. The door burst open.

"I'm so sorry, I had to finish up some papers and couldn't find class." Angela was embarrassed for letting her find it herself. She'd offered to go with her, but the girl told her she had to do something.

"It's fine, don't let it happen again, Miss…" He read her name on the paper she'd given him, but didn't know how to pronounce it.

"If you can't pronounce it, my dad said the English equivalent to it is Hayes."

"Miss Hayes. You may be seated in front, I suspect you may have a lot you don't understand."

She nodded, and hung her coat on the seat in front of me.

"Miss Hayes, next to Edward, please."

The girl turned her head and looked at me, and I saw then that Mike had been wrong, her eyes weren't brown, they were a dark moss green. From afar they might have looked brown, but the green was hard _not_ to see for me. The color was so deep, soulful. She waved a tiny bit at me and moved her coat to sit next to me.

"Hi," she blushed, "Moira, nice to meet you." She held out her hand. I shook it only slightly, and she didn't seem to acknowledge my cold body temperature. Perhaps because she was so cold herself. I looked at her clothes, too tiny and revealing for this kind of weather. I think I might have been staring too long, because she gave me the reason why.

"Forgot to calculate Fahrenheit into Celsius this morning. 41 seemed warm enough to me… Not." She blushed.

I showed her a crooked smile, and her heart beat a little faster.

_Wow…_ It was the first thing I ever heard her think, and after that nothing anymore. She closed her eyes and shook her head a tiny bit before showing a crooked smile of her own. I listened harder. Nothing. I had heard something, and it had definitely been her, it had been a voice I'd never heard before, but why was it silent again?

Class started, and the teacher discussed which books we were going to read this year. Moira's face lit up as he said Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen, and –almost as if it were on instinct – grabbed the necklace around her neck.

A necklace in which the name Edward engraved.

I frowned at it, she looked at me as if she were expecting to see me wonder about it and explained in a whisper, "Edward Ferrars. Got it from a friend back in Belgium. Adorable character."

I nodded. I could relate to the character, though he was often too soft for my liking, I understood his self-hate. It was a feeling I have related to ever since I became a monster.

She let out a yawn, covering her mouth with her tiny hand and rubbing out her eyes.

"Jetlag?" I offered. She smiled sleepily and nodded.

Bella, who was sitting to my left two rows behind me listened to Jessica Stanley's questions about whether me and Moira knew each other. I heard her shake her head. Mr. Collins asked for the classes' attention, and I tried to stay focused on class, but somehow I couldn't stop moving my eyes towards Moira. The funny little goose bumps that appeared and she tried to rub away, a small beauty spot placed on her shoulder, the teeth that bit her lip as she was trying to keep up with the teacher's writing. When class ended, she put her notebook in her bag, one with more flowers on them, and turned to wait for Angela, Bella and Jessica.

"See you, Edward." She waved at me, a tiny one, her foreign accent making my name sound quite different, and I had yet to decide whether a good or bad different as I waved back. I guess I should hear it again if I wanted to really know.

Two periods later I heard the same high voice coming from the classroom over me.

"I've got P.E. now, is that in a separate building?" she asked, her accent coming through only slightly, but I could hear that she didn't speak it with the same ease normal Americans did.

"Yeah, I've got it too, I'll show you." Jessica offered, eager to get her alone to question about me. I walked behind them to P.E., also my next class. Jessica asked out loud what we had talked about, not realizing I was in ear-shot. Moira just shrugged and replied, "Small talk, he noticed my complete disregard to the weather forecast and my necklace." Jessica inspected it for the first time when she showed the little circle nestled between the little dip in her clavicles. Jessica's snide thoughts whispered, _Stalker?_

"I explained to him it was from a fictional character."

"You have necklaces with names of fictional characters?" Jessica questioned with assessing eyes, already finding her a lot less interesting.

Moira didn't seem to notice and blushed. "I'm a real geek sometimes. Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars and stuff…" She smiled proudly, "I even met Tom Felton once, you know, Draco Malfoy, the blond. He was so sweet! He said I looked like Emma Watson. His girlfriend isn't quite that nice, though, kind of insulted my friend at the convention we were at for dressing up as his character." Jessica decided not to ask anything more, thinking she'd heard enough nonsense already.

_What a weirdo._

I frowned. One harmless little quality and already Jessica Stanley was so ignorant to change her entire view on the person.

They walked out of the doors, into the rain towards the gym.

"Is it always like this?"

"Most of the time. What's the weather like in Belgium?"

"Kind of the same, but it just looks drearier here, with all the green, not like the city at all. I was going to ask you, by the way, is there one nearby? You know, for shopping and stuff."

Jessica nodded.

"Portland, or you could go to Seattle for a weekend. We're going there soon enough, Winter Formal is coming up." She was already wondering what color dress could win her the price, and worrying about the dress code, hoping the committee doesn't ask for blues which, according to her, do not look good on anyone.

"Is it like in the movies? We never had one at our school."

"Not really, the music in the movies is better, but we do have an Ice King and Queen, and a few princesses, too."

"And what makes you win? Popularity?" Moira asked, turning her head so I could see her profile and raising one eyebrow, and you could practically read the disapproval on her expression.

Jessica shrugs. "It helps."

"There aren't any of those stupid bimbo's here that think the only thing important in life is winning that crown, right? Cause I hate those kind of people." Jessica stayed quiet, telling herself that it _was_ important.

"Nope, none of those here." Lies, I could easily name three, and one of them was walking in front of me, stepping up her pace.

They walked through the doors of the gym and headed to the girls' locker rooms. This is where I had to ignore my – or rather others – thoughts. The boys teenagers boasting or self destructive thoughts and the girls' scrutinizing and harsh words about their own and others bodies. Sweat, and other bodily fluids of which I didn't want to consider what they were, were the normal smells of the boys locker room, and blood, but if I didn't focus on it, I could easily ignore it. After Bella, after tasting and smelling the sweetest blood on the planet, other scents no longer had a hold on me. I could now go to school even though my eyes were pitch black. I didn't like to take the risk though, and I liked the hunt too much to not do it every two weeks or so.

I got out as soon as possible, and some of the girls were sitting down on the benches, fully clothed, with the excuse that they had their periods. Only two of them actually had it, and Coach Clapp had failed to notice that the other three had their "periods" last week and the week before that as well.

As the others joined in, Moira was still in the clothes she wore before, the short and top. She went to Coach Clapp and told him she hadn't gotten her schedule until today.

Coach Clapp frowned. "After school go order gym clothes at Ms Cope's. Will you be able to run?" She nodded and saluted him with a blush, as if his gruff remarks had made her think of a military. She walked over to Jessica who was busy talking with Mike.

"Ten laps everybody!" The Coach whistled and Moira turned around in surprise, watching her newly-made friends run off. I jogged to a spot in the middle as I heard several iPods being turned on into horrible dance music. Somewhere amongst the sounds I heard Muse's Uprising playing, and used that as my rhythm.

Ten laps done, people were bending over catching their breath. Coach Clapp told us we could go fend for ourselves, since he had an appointment in a few minutes.

As I was walking towards my car on the parking lot Mr. Collins addressed me. His cologne made me hold my breath, the stench making me uneasy.

"Mr. Cullen. I must ask you whether you still have all your books and texts from last year. Your former teacher informed me all your tests and notes were very admirable, and I was wondering whether you might give them to Miss Hayes as soon as possible, so she may look into them. She may need them, foreigner and all." Mr. Collins was obviously anxious to go home, and I saw no problem in doing that, so I said a quick 'yes' and he raced away.

Alice waited for me by my Volvo, smiling at me as she leaned on the driver's side.

"Don't even think about it." Her face fell, and she walked over to the passenger's side. I opened the car and waited for her to get in, but she stared at something and I turned around to see at what.

Moira Hayes, walking through the rain with a flimsy raincoat and the rest of her little clothes. The hair that stuck out from the cap was already drenched and drops from her legs was dripping into her shoes. She walked to the direction of the sidewalk, past the bikes. Before I knew, Alice ran after her.

"Alice, stop." I growled under my breath. My sister ignored me and went on running towards the girl. I overheard their conversation.

"Hey, Moira is it? I'm Alice, Edward's sister. Do you need a ride?"

"Oh no, I'm fine, thank you." I heard her quiet voice, in Alice's mind I saw the shy girl and saw that she didn't know exactly how to talk to this stranger that suddenly came at her. "And by the way, my momma told me not to go in cars with strangers."

"You sure? We have candy." Alice joked to lighten the mood. Moira pursed her lips.

"Well, if that's the case." She walked over to Alice and I saw them turn back towards my car.

"You do know I was joking about the candy, right?" Alice asked. Moira smiled at her.

"Sure, but I have loads at my house, and car is faster. Drier, too, I hope." She looked up, drops falling on her eyelids and forehead. As she looked ahead she gave me a little wave again, and blushed. I waved back at her, knowing it might look ridiculous, since we were already in close proximity, but finding her shyness much more bearable than the over-the-top "moves" other girls tried to pull off.

I opened the trunk with my keys for her to put her soaking wet bag in, not wanting to wet my leather seats.

Alice sat herself in the back, and Moira joined her as I seated myself in the driver's seat.

"So you're from Europe?" She asked, though she already knew.

"Belgium. Dullest country in Europe, honest."

"You make the best chocolate, though." I saw her shrug in the rear-view mirror.

"Cote d'Or, yes, but the other brands really suck actually. Our beers are better, even though I think they taste like tainted water." She pulled up her nose.

"Oh right, you guys can drink when you're over sixteen."

"Not the heavy stuff, just beers and wines and stuff. No vodka or anything. I'm gonna miss wine." She sighed. "You can't drink until you guys are twenty-one right? God, I'm gonna have to let somebody else buy my bottles."

Alice frowned. "Are you a drunk?" Moira laughed out loud.

"No, not at all, it just helps me sleep and it's cozy on weekends, putting on old records, watching a movie, glass of wine."

"Where's your house?" I asked, realizing I didn't have an aim for where to go.

"Clancy street, number five."

"You live alone there right? How do you pay for it?"

"I have quite a rich aunt and she bought this house for me knowing I wanted to study in the States. She pays most of my bills, in return I give her good grades. I'm gonna try and find a job here though, I never found one in the city, because they always found someone better to give it to, but since it's a small town here, maybe I'll get lucky." She smiled, and I could see the twinkle of excitement in those deep green eyes. She was eager to be on her own and fend for herself. I had a feeling she had never done that before.

"Aren't you're parents concerned?"

"They're visiting in a few weeks with my brother. We're all going to Washington to see the monuments and the White House and stuff, and the military museum for my brother. He wants to go into the army."

"Well, my boyfriend Jasper collects a lot of things from the Civil War. Would he be interested in that?"

Moira frowned. "I'm afraid not, he's into the Second World War. Bigger guns, I guess."

I had been so busy listening to them that I almost passed Moira's house. The second floor still had the SOLD sign hanging from the window. It was a small house, but looked quite contemporary on the outside, and sizeable enough for someone who lived alone. Three windows up front, a little porch and a white door.

"Thanks for bringing me here, I owe you guys, big time."

"Do we have to come by tomorrow, too?" I asked, part of me hoping to hear more for some reason. She hadn't made a move on me once, and I approved of that, I guess. A female being able to act normal around me.

"I'm good, thanks. Angela's picking me up and dropping me off starting tomorrow." She opened up her door and I walked out to open the trunk.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome." I watched her struggle to get her heavy bag out and she held out her hand awkwardly. I shook it again, finding it kind of amusing how she didn't know how to handle herself around strangers.

"See you tomorrow, Edward." And she ran to her house, opening the door and racing in, but I still caught the blush on her cheeks and smiled.

I decided I liked the way she said my name.


	2. Beautiful Greeting

**So, I hope you guys liked the first chapter. I wanted to put an A/N in it but I forgot how to *blush*. Kind of out of practice. I know it isn't and Edward/Bella story, mainly because my dreams about Twilight mostly star my alter ego (no offense, Kristen, but Robbie's mine!) I hope you like this chapter as well as the other one (which got, like, 7 followers in a week I think! I don't know about you, but I think that's huge!)**

**I'll leave you guys to read now. Love ya ;) !**

Today was the day I had to go. I hadn't told my family anything, but I had received a message from the Volturi asking me to come over and discuss certain subjects, alone. I knew some accusations would be involved, such as the fact that I told a human of our existence. For some time, I had been preparing, I would go unexpectedly, when my family was…. otherwise occupied. And the only time that was, without exception, at night. I grabbed a bag with clothes and opened the window. I jumped out at superhuman speed and ran as the voices and noises of my family were left behind me. I didn't say goodbye, and if I never return, I shall regret it, but I had been a burden to them, for so many years, and this might be the only way they would not share my frustrations or fears. Go quietly into the night. I first ran to the sea, so if they tried to catch my scent it would be lost, and jumped out again miles away. I took the plane in New York to Rome, and landed there at night. I crossed the many planes of land and cities barely asleep before I reached Volterra. Alec and Jane were waiting for me, and said nothing but to follow, with that sickly sweet sinister smile they could muster so well.

Aro, Caius and Marcus greeted me in the great hall. Aro was his usual self, scarily upbeat and cunning. He immediately reached for my hand.

"Aah, Edward. How have you been?" He asks, his voice papery thin and his dull red eyes watching mine dazedly.

"I'm sure you would know." Aro laughed and took his hand away, seemingly happy with what he'd found.

"Yes, oh dear, dreadful to have lost a loved one. Marcus would know." Marcus stiffened, for he remembered that he had lost his wife, Didyme. Much like werewolves, one could only feel pain for those who lost the ones they had imprinted or had fallen in love with. How he still stayed with the Volturi was probably because of Chelsea. I had a feeling that if it hadn't been for Aro to so desperately need him that he would use one's powers on his, he would have been long gone. Dead, preferably, as I heard him think. I shuddered, imagining what it would be like to lose a love like that. The only true love in our hearts that us vampires had.

"To business." The sharp voice of Caius insisted. I watched as the blond vampire curled his hands around his chairs' armrests. Aro sighed. "Yes, indeed."

The guard, including Chelsea, Alec, Demetri and Jane stepped closer, as if interested in the matter.

"Technically, you haven't told her what you were, I saw that. She was a clever girl."

"But that means anyone can find out if he hadn't told her!" Caius yelled.

Aro stayed calm. "Yes, but that is not his fault. We haven't been outside for years, Caius, but my informants tell me the world is changing. Vampires have become some kind of cult these days. One can find information on all kinds of vampires. The internet, those ridiculous TV-shows. Anne Rice…" He trailed off.

"Yes, one can simply find out. Another problem."

"If it is not his fault, then what to punish him for." Punishment meant death, of course. I stiffened. Aro just laughed.

"Caius, dear brother, you talk as if punishment for this young man is inevitable. We let you come simply to discuss, Edward. You must not be afraid. There is something we need to talk about though."

I nodded.

"This… human. She is now with the werewolf. She is now of no problem to us, since she has her own secrets to keep and we do not know the culture of the wolves. But if such a thing, one who might discover, might happen again, what shall we do? The human you just met, she seemed apprehensive to go into the car with you, even though her senses should tell her to get as near to you as possible."

I frowned. "She went in the car with us, no problem there."

Aro rubbed his chin in thought.

"Yes, but any other girl would have jumped in, wouldn't they. That Jessica girl would've, others as well…" He'd seen in my mind the infatuation Jessica and some other girls had for me, he was right indeed. She _had _quite apprehensive.

"It could be because she doesn't know how to handle herself around strangers. You saw." Aro walked over to his throne and sat down, in deep thought. He was still pondering the fact that people could just read about us and know, but he willed himself to focus on my situation.

"I don't even know why you brought her up, honestly." I murmured, seeing the girl in front of me, not looking me in the eyes as she shook my hand.

"No reason. Just curious. Could she know?"

I shook my head. "I've just met her. And she hasn't given me that impression."

"Good. Now, for the time being, I will need you to stay here for a few days. If you've been hiding something it could come up in your head soon, and I don't want to risk anymore." I sighed and nodded. Jane seemed slightly irritated, she had expected a good killing. As they led me to a room down a dark corridor that would be mine, my phone rang.

I picked it up and met the voice of a terrified Esme.

"Where are you?" She asked breathlessly.

"Volterra."

"With Aro?" Carlisle asked, it must have been on speaker phone.

"Yes, he requested my presence. I didn't want to worry you."

"Well, of course we are worried! Suddenly you were gone! You should've told us, dear." Esme chided.

"I shall come home again as soon as Aro will let me. Which shall be in a few days." Three, he'd thought.

"Call us. Every day. You understand? We need to hear you're okay." Carlisle worried.

I rolled my eyes. "I will, don't worry. Tell Alice to tell the teachers I got the flu or something." My voice sounded irritated, and Esme noticed.

"Of course, dear. We'll let you be then." I said a quick goodbye and retreated to my temporary room.

It had been three days now, and I had finally returned home. Aro had told me to send his best to Carlisle, and hoped he would forgive him for stealing his son away. As I came home in the early morning, my family was waiting for me by the entrance. My mother and father held me, not saying a word, their minds saying more than enough. The few desperate moments of fear they had gone through, the feeling of being abandoned. It had hurt my siblings as well, and Alice was determined not to speak to me again. I smiled a half-smile at her, knowing she wouldn't be able to keep that promise.

I decided not to go to school today, since I hadn't hunted in a while and Carlisle had told the principal I would be sick for the entire week. As Alice and Jasper went to school and the rest of the family hunted, I read in the living room while Esme took one of her many attempts to play her favorite song on the piano, and I often came to her to teach her how to do it. An hour before school would have ended, we both stopped when we heard a scooter ride towards the direction of our house. We waited in the living room as we saw the scooter approach. It was an old, rusty thing, and I was surprised it had any power at all to get up the driveway. I was even more surprised when I saw who was driving it. Moira. I watched her pull off her helmet and shake her hair out. She grabbed her bag and walked towards the front door and knocked. Esme waited a few seconds, like a normal human would do, and answered the door.

"Hello dear. May I ask what you are doing here?"

"Umm, Mrs. Cullen?" The European accent was coming through softly.

Esme smiled in surprise. She hadn't seen her before. I don't think either Alice or me had even mentioned her.

"Yes, dear."

"I'm Moira. The school told me I had to drop off some texts for Edward, so he could catch up." I heard her zip open her bag and take out a couple of sheets.

"Why, thank you. Edward would appreciate that." Moira blushed, I could see it through Esme's eyes.

"I hope he can read it. My copies may have some mistakes in them. Mike's are pretty much unreadable. I heard he got the flu, has he gotten any better?" Esme liked her, she thought she was kind.

"Much better. In fact, he's right downstairs. Edward." She called. I hissed in frustration. I didn't know what on earth I could possibly say to this girl now. I walked over slowly to the door and she smiled a little smile, which I'd noticed nobody else could pull it of quite as well as she could, and did her little wave. I mirrored her actions, and Esme seemed astounded.

"How are you feeling?" The tiny girl in front of me asked. She was dressed properly now, thick jeans, combats, a long-sleeved t-shirt and a warm coat. I noticed she had little fake crystals on her jeans and reflecting sequins on her t-shirt. They reflected a little bit in her eyes. I smiled a half-smile at the kind, shy girl.

"Better, thank you. How's school?"

"Busy, difficult, but Ang and Bella are helping me through some of the classes."

Esme came in. "Would you like to come in for a drink, dear?" She asked.

"I'd love to, but I have a bunch of stuff to finish off. And since Coach Clapp hasn't come to school today, I might as well get it all done, while I can."

Esme handed me the bunch of papers to look at. Pretty basic stuff, three different handwritings, one from Bella. I looked away in frustration –I can't escape her for one second – for distraction at Moira.

"You didn't have to come here, you could've given it to me at school."

Esme hit my arm slightly and chided me.

"I know, but I bought a scooter from Bella's boyfriend, Jacob, and got it today. I wanted to test out my new toy." She said, the biggest of smiles on her face. It's the first time I'd seen her smile full-on, and it was a pretty smile, a genuine one. One of those where the eyes crinkle and cheeks lift to their highest point. She looked at the rusty thing with pride.

"And I'm gonna try and look for a job next weekend, so I can start paying off my aunt." She smiled, the same genuine smile. She was opening up to me. I should be closing her off right now. Opening up would be dangerous for both of us, and she'd already made the first move.

But she was kind. Sweet, even. And I couldn't bear the thought of making a little girl like her sad. She acted normal toward me. Shy, yes, but all the other reactions she had to me she kept in check. She seemed… safe. Comfortable. She didn't bat her lashes or touch me. Maybe because my mother was standing next to me, but I had a feeling she wasn't that kind of girl. I smiled at her.

"Sure you don't want to come in."

She blushed and smiled the shy smile again, this time apologetically.

"I can't, between school and cooking and picking up laundry… And I've kind of got this kind of … schedule in my head. It's hard not to keep to it." She blushed even harder, and the embarrassment was radiating off of her. Maybe she is slightly autistic? I decided it was too blunt to ask.

"No problem." My mouth turned into a small smile for a second, but I couldn't keep it up. I found the girl sweet, and was sad she was leaving.

_Stop this right now._ The better part of me told myself. It had been a long time since I heard any of my two so-called inner voices.

_She would taste good._ The monster told me. I shook him away, finding it repelling to think of killing this innocent child. I couldn't even imagine hurting her. She was just too sweet, too kind. I didn't understand.

I needed her to leave. Now. To get my thoughts together. To maybe cast away the hideous thoughts the monster gave me. To calm down my thirst. I should've hunted. I wouldn't have heard the monster if I had. And as her wide, green eyes looked into mine, I could do nothing but wave a quick goodbye and close the door before she could respond.

"Edward! What on earth did you do that for?" Esme was mad, and confused. She didn't know what had happened.

"I needed to think. I'm sorry. I got thirsty." I used as an excuse. Honestly, I did not know the exact reason why I had been so blunt in my goodbye, but I hoped I wouldn't have to ponder long. I didn't like wading in the dark for an answer. Time with Bella had proved that.

Her name stung for the first time, but it wasn't because of the pain of heartbreak. Something else. Maybe deeper than heartbreak.

I needed to hunt. I needed to get my thoughts straight.

So after I heard Moira was out of hearing or smelling distance, I hunted.


End file.
